Will Gabriel Jesus Join His Compatriots on the Infamous Brazilian Factor List One Day?

The young South American star seems to have dapted to life in the Premier League rather quickly, but will he succumb to the Brazilian Factor syndrome eventually?

(Image credit: Man City)

Previously, we have written an article about the ‘Brazilian Factor’ that takes a look at some of the biggest Brazilian football names who have experienced virtual overnight success, but after only a few seasons at the very top have found themselves sharply losing the form, pace and skills all drastically dropping, and essentially losing the limelight.

Jesus has hit the ground running with the Etihad side after scoring a brace against Swansea on Sunday, which marked his second and third goals in four appearances for Man City since joining them from Palmeiras merely a few weeks ago. But the question persists whether he will deliver continued goalscoring efforts and success to his side, and thus avoid becoming the latest member of the Brazilian Factor syndrome.

“I am very happy I got into the team so quickly,” said the 19-year-old Brazilian sensation. “This means a lot, to play in front of our fans.”

Man City boss Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the young Brazilian who shunned other top sides in Europe in favour of playing at the Etihad. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager hopes Jesus shies away from developing symptoms of the Brazilian Factor and continues to deliver top-quality performances considering his immense talent on the ball.

“Most of the big clubs in Europe wanted Gabriel but he came to us and he is a big signing for us. He is hungry, has desire and has shown us so many good things. He’s told me he never gets tired! There are 19-year-olds who are physically strong and some who aren’t. That guy in the box was something special. His first touch is good but his second or third touch has to improve. He’s so intelligent though.”

Like most Brazilian Factor players, Jesus first made headlines in the media while still plying his trade in his native country. During his two-year stint with Palmeiras he quickly emerged as one of the focal players of the squad and even broke into the Brazil national selection before his move to Europe.

His trajectory growth is extremely reminiscent to that of Brazilian Factor stars, taking into account that he found the back of the seven times overall in his first season with Palmeiras (2015), while the following campaign (2016) he bagged an impressive 21 goals across all competitions. (Don’t forget, he did that while still being a teenager, with him set to become 20 years of age on April 3 this year.)

Jesus’ international teammate and Barcelona star Neymar – who celebrated his 25th birthday on February 5 – may actually be suffering from the same Brazilian Factor syndrome, as we have previously predicted that may be a possibility. If he doesn’t manage to bounce back from his poor form this season, then he’ll definitely be added to the Brazilian Factor list.

His first season with the Catalan giants (2013/14) has seen him go through an adaptation period during which he scored nine goals in the league and 15 goals overall. But he justified the high price tag Barcelona paid for him and showed amazing goalscoring ability in his subsequent two seasons (2014/15 and 2015/16), by striking 70 goals past the opposing goalkeepers.

However, so far this campaign Neymar’s God-like abilities seem to have cooled off after enjoying a short hot spell in front of goal – something that is very reminiscent of the Brazilian Factor. As of February 6, 2017, Neymar has only five goals in the league and nine overall to his name – stats that are in stark contrast to that of previous two seasons.

Did he truly succumb to the Brazilian Factor syndrome and is his time over? What do you think? Tell us in the comment section below.

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